Chapter 13 - You're not as smooth as you think.

Nyssa thanked god she only had a month left of school as she stopped at Manda's. She figured she'd drive her cousin to school for a change since Manda had always been driving her when she'd lived with Ed. Manda came out of her house just as Nyssa pulled up and rolled down the window.

"Wanna roll with me today Manda?" Nyssa called toward her shocked cousin with a grin.

"Sure, why're you driving Vince's car?" Manda slid into the vehicle and looked around.

"He said I should take his car till I'm comfortable driving mine on the street."

"That was nice of him. So are you and him an item or what?"

"We're 'or what' I guess. I don't even really know." Nyssa put the car in gear and pulled off from the curb.

"What do you mean you don't even know?" Manda looked scandalized. "Don't you live at his house?"

"Well, yeah. But he's still hung up on Mia and we've decided that till he can look at me and say honestly he wants me not Mia with no doubt in his mind we're just friends."

"Well, that's ok anyway cause I don't thing you should date Vince. He is scruffy and not very smart. You can do better then some stupid grease monkey. You should go after Leon. He's a better catch."

"Hey, Vince isn't stupid. He's very much like Danny in a lot of ways. I know you didn't think Danny was stupid. Leon's a bigger grease monkey than Vince and I think I'm going to learn to be a mechanic too. Dom wants me to. He says I can work for him if I do. But Vince is scruffy. He is not dirty though. I like the way he always looks like he just woke up all the time."

"Well, whatever. This is a sweet car that's for sure. Have you raced yet?"

"No, I'm far from ready to race. Vince and I practice on the track every day or so. He said he could get Dom to teach me but Dom's not very nice."

"Are you crazy? Dom's the best and he is so perfect looking." Manda was getting all hot and bothered thinking about Dom. She drifted off into her own world where Dom was her's to capture.

"Manda, he's mean when he gets impatient. He made Letty cry a few times when he was teaching her to race. Vince has been nothing but patient with me. Plus why are you thinking about Dom that way? They all know you have a crush on him and he's never going to leave Letty." Nyssa took her eyes off the road for a moment to meet her cousin's blue gaze firmly then turned back to the road.

"What do you mean they all know I have a thing for Dom?"

"Just what I said. You must have told the wrong person or they saw the way you look at him cause even Dom knows. And Letty would beat your face off if you ever went for him. I mean he might sleep with you but as far as girlfriends go he's never leaving Letty anyway and you deserve better. If you think Leon is cute you could go after him but I would advise you to forget Dominic."

"Shit. I didn't think I was that obvious. I guess you're right though. I don't want to mess with Letty."

They pulled up to school and parked the car. The climbed out and there were people all over them right away. Asking where Nyssa got the car and whose it was. Looking at it and ohing and ahing over it. Nyssa told everyone it was her boyfriend's, so what if he wasn't? Yet. If she had her way he would be. Then she got into her tail and told the group that he was huge and dangerous. She asked if they had heard of Dom Toretto and almost everyone said yes.

"Oh well my boyfriend Vince races on Dom's team. Vince'n Dom are like brothers." Her popularity went up just because she knew Dom and his team.

"How many horsepower is this running?" Someone asked her, and other questions about the car came rapid-fire.

"I have no idea. I'm car challenged so I don't know anything about this one." Nyssa didn't answer the questions because she couldn't and she didn't think Vince would want people to know about his car.

The bell rang and they all started in to class. Nyssa remembered to arm the car's security at the last second and she clicked it on. The car chirped and flashed its lights and they headed into class. Nyssa and Manda talked about the fact that she lived with Vince even though they were not dating.

"Well, living with Vince, whether we're an official item or not is better then living with Ed and worrying about what he might try with me. I mean, at least if Vince and I do end up hooking up I'll be a willing participant." Nyssa shrugged. She couldn't find it in herself to care about the fact that she and Vince had never come right out and declared their intentions.

"Yeah, well Daddy is pissed off that you decided to run to a stranger instead of to him. He promised uncle Mark he'd take care of you while Mark was in jail and He doesn't know how he'd gonna do that while you live with a bunch of street racing criminals."

"You told him I live with street racing criminals!? Manda, how could you?" Nyssa shrieked, outraged.

"I didn't tell him in those words. I told him you were staying with Dom Toretto's sister Mia. He knew who Dom was, what was I gonna do?"

"Not tell him where I was staying? God Manda! I'll go talk to Uncle John when I get a chance and try to fix it. I mean if it wasn't for Vince being there that night I'd have been out in the street. After Ed raped me for crying out loud. Things happened so fast that I really didn't have much choice in how they happened."

"I know and I told Daddy that. But he was all mad about 'she's family and she shouldn't have to go live with strangers when we have this huge house right here and there would be lots of room for her here'. You know how he is."

"Too bad your mom hates me in the middle of that huge house."

"She doesn't hate you."

"Yeah she does. At least Vince'n Dom'n Letty'n Mia like me. They mighta started out strangers but they're friends now and they like me for being me." Manda could only nod her understanding.

When the girls got to their first class there were two police officers inside talking to the teacher. They watched as the teacher pointed at them and they heard him say "that's her". They didn't know which one of them he was pointing at. The officers walked over to them and asked which one was Nyssa Williams. Nyssa identified herself and they asked her to come with them to an empty class. Since one was a female officer she said it was fine if the door was left open. She knew she didn't have to answer anything without a lawyer present but since she had no idea what this could be about she went along with them. Since she had done nothing wrong she didn't want to look guilty by refusing to hear them out. She better find out what this was about first.

They walked into the empty class and the officers sat down and asked her to do the same. She took a seat close to them but not right beside where they were seated.

"So what's this about?" Nyssa asked curiously.

"Well young lady, your father is very worried about you. He says that you ran off a few days ago and he hasn't heard from you since. He's asked us to bring you home since you're a run away."

"Oh man that's rich. That's just so funny." Nyssa started to laugh, and she laughed till she was gasping for breath. The concept of Ed giving a care about where she was, let alone reporting her as a run away was almost too funny to comprehend.

"What's so funny about your father being concerned about you? These are some cruel streets for run away teens young lady. You should be grateful that your father is willing to take you back in after you ran off on him."

"Oh come off it!" Nyssa stopped laughing. "You bought his story that I ran away? How many run aways have you ever had reported that keep going to school in the same city? And how's it running away when I come home to find all my stuff in boxes on his lawn? Ed isn't shit to me and he packed up all my stuff and put it out on the lawn." The two officers looked at each other.

"You have all your items out of his house?"

"Yeah. I came home from school last Friday and found all my stuff packed and ready to go. The only reason Ed gives a care about me now is because someone must have filled him in on how much my car is worth and he's trying to get his hands on it. Not to mention that I'm 19 and there's very little Ed can do if I don't want to live with him anymore."

"You're 19?"

"Yeah. I'm 19. Not to mention my real dad is in Lompoc, not dead. I really have no ties to Ed and there's nothing that Ed can do about where I live or when I decided to go live there."

"Well, what about this man you let with? Your father said he was a drug dealer and maybe a pimp too. He's very concerned you were being coerced into leaving with this man. Your father said he looked dangerous, had a lot of tattoos." The officers looked serious and Nyssa laughed again.

"He's not a pimp. He works at a garage as a mechanic. He gave me a place to stay when I had no where since my step father tried to rape me in his hall." Nyssa was sure to emphasize step father because she was sick of hearing them call Ed her father. He was no such thing. "He's nothing more exciting then a mechanic." Nyssa had wondered if Vince was a drug dealer at times but she knew he was not a pimp. The thought of Vince as a pimp made her laugh again.

"You got ID to prove your age? Your step father said you were 17."

Nyssa handed over her driver's license. The cops checked it out and it proved she was 19. There was nothing they could do about Ed's charges. Nyssa was free by the law to live where ever she saw fit. However, they'd already discussed the fact that the blue maxima in the student parking lot looked just like one they knew to belong to one of the street racers on Toretto's team. They knew all of those guys were too old for high school. Maybe the girls new room mates was one of the Toretto racers. They all had tattoos and it had looked like one of their cars.

"This car of yours that you allege Ed wants to get his hands on, is it here with you today?"

"No, I have another car here today. A friend lent it to me while he took mine to work on it in his garage."

"What's your friend's name?"

"Vince. Why are you asking me these questions? What's it to you? Didn't we already decide that I was old enough to live where I wanted and that Ed had no control over that? What does whose car I'm driving have to do with anything?"

"Well, this friend of yours, Vince, he's a street racer for Dominic Toretto. You're living with Dom Toretto aren't you?" The male cop made guesses to try and make himself look smart. He knew very well that Vince was the most likely member of Toretto's gang to be into illegal activities. And there was every reason to think that the Toretto's were involved in some very illegal activities.

"Yeah, I'm staying with his sister Mia." Nyssa thought it looked better for all concerned if she pointed out other women lived in the house too.

"You ever see anything illegal going on in that house? Any drugs or anything else like that?"

"Not unless parties and loud music have become illegal?"

"No miss, they haven't. Thanks for your time." The cop surrendered when it became obvious Nyssa wasn't going to give anything up.

Nyssa went back to her class and sat down with a puzzled look on her face. Manda leaned over and whispered "what did they want?"

"Ed reported me as a run away and the cops came to check it out."

"A run away?"

"Yeah. I gotta tell Vince. They asked about his car."

At the break Manda had to know it all in minute detail. Nyssa told her and then dug in her pockets for a quarter and called Vince on his cell phone.

"Hey V."

"Nyssa, how's school going babe?"

"Shitty. Ed called the cops and told them I was only 17 and a run away. And that you kidnapped me."

"Aw shit, are you downtown?" Vince hated the cops and the police station but he would go get her if he had to. "I'll come get you." He sighed.

"No, once I told them I was 19 and that I hadn't run away or been kidnapped that he kicked me out and only wanted me back for my car they were fine with it and said they couldn't do anything about it if they wanted too."

"Well that's good. Were you scared?"

"Not about that I know my rights and if I didn't want to talk I would've insisted on calling my lawyer, but Vince, they recognized your car in the lot and asked me if I was staying with you. I said yes because I didn't know if I should lie or not you know? And then they asked me stuff about you. Like if I though you were a drug dealer or stuff."

"Or stuff? What did you tell them?"

"I told them you were a mechanic at a friend's garage and that was all I knew." Nyssa hedged.

"What was or stuff? Nyssa you're a shitty liar so you better tell me."

"Well they asked me if you were a pimp or dealing."

Vince laughed. "They thought I was a pimp?"

"Yeah. I laughed too. I thought that was funny. I told them all I knew was that you worked at your friend's garage and that I knew you were not a pimp or a drug dealer."

"Well thanks. But I could be a pimp you know. I could get enough girls to be a pimp. Nothing says that I couldn't." Vince chuckled. "Did they ask you anything else?"

"Just if I ever saw illegal stuff happen at your place. So I told them not unless partying counted and they said no. That was really the end of it. I am sorry that I even told them I knew you. But they know your car pretty well."

"Don't worry about it. The truth is always the best answer unless you really need to lie. It keeps you looking honest. And yeah they all know my car pretty well. No sense lying about that."

"Ok V as long as you're not mad at me."

"No, just finish your day and come home Nys, and we'll do a little driving around the neighbourhood and then get some dinner ok?"

"Sounds so good Vince. See you around 4:00 or so ok? I have to drive Manda home."

"Ok, see you then."

Vince hung up and turned around to see all the guys staring at him.

"What's wrong with Nyssa?" Dom asked.

Vince gave them a run down of what had happened and how Nyssa had handled it. Dom was pleased. Nyssa had told them all the right things and had lied when she had too about what she had seen in the house. She would have seen underage drinking, some drug use and of course street racing, but she didn't tell them about any of it. She must have a cool head on her shoulders. Dom went back to the car he was working on.

Vince and Leon were talking about the same thing. How well Nyssa had kept her cool and protected their backs. It was just what one of them would have done. Protect the team at all costs.

"Dawg you got it bad for the little chica. When you gonna admit it?" Leon ribbed his friend.

"I'm not fallin for her brotha. She's just cool."

"Ok then Dawg, I wanna make a play for her then. She's cuter then I thought and she's cool and down'n shit. Since you don't wanna date her you won't mind right?" Leon licked his lips in mock lust. Vince missed the humor. He growled and moved toward Leon menacingly.

"Over my dead body! She don't need a playa like you that's for sure."

"You may as well admit you got it for her now Vince and save yoself the time of falling harder then you want to later."

"You can go straight to fucken hell Leon. You gonna help me finish this car today or are you gonna have wet dreams about my girl all day?" Leon only laughed, noticing how Vince had put emphaisis on the my part of that statement. Coyote had it bad, and it was only time before he realized it himself.

Nyssa showed up home at 4:10. She knew she was late but it wasn't much. She ran in the house and called out for Vince. She knew he was home because her car was home. He finally answered her back from downstairs so she went down looking for him. She didn't find him in the living room or his room. When she finally checked the bathroom after not finding him in either of the first places she found him.

He had his hand under running water and the bathroom was covered in blood. The mystery of how he got into the bathroom without leaving blood all through the house was solved when she spied his shirt in the bathtub leaving a bloody trail toward the drain.

"What the heck happened Vince?" Nyssa took in the blood in the sink and across the floor. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah I'm fine. I was cutting wires and the knife slipped and cut my hand."

"Damn it V. What were you thinking using a knife for that? Use your head. You should have been using pliers or wire cutters for this exact reason. Let me see." She took his hand out of the water and looked at the cut. It was deep but she didn't think it was deep enough for stitches. Then again she wasn't a doctor, but she just knew that he'd meet any suggestions that involved the hospital with resistance. She had him stick his hand back under the water and looked around the bathroom until she found bandages and rubbing alcohol. She turned off the water.

"Hold your hand over the bathtub."

"Why?" Vince narrowed his eyes at Nyssa in suspicion.

"Because we have to clean that cut."

"It is clean. It was under running water for like 15 minutes."

"It needs to be cleaner then that Vince. Put your hand over the tub." He complied, still looking suspicious of her plan. "This is going to hurt like hell V." He nodded and she flooded the cut with the alcohol. His breath hissed between his teeth despite himself. He fought the curses that came to his lips, knowing if he let them out she'd know how much the alcohol had hurt.

She set the alcohol down and rapped his hand in the bandage she had been able to find. She wrapped it up tight to try to stop the bleeding.

"I think you'll be ok without stitches but I think you need to take it easy for awhile. No driving or anything else that could loosen that bandage and start the bleeding again."

"You're over reacting. I'll be fine in an hour. It'll scab over by then and I'll be fine." He looked up from where he was sitting on the side of the tub to where Nyssa was standing in front of him looking down. "How was your day?" Vince grinned, trying to put Nyssa at ease, seeing her worry for him in her eyes.

"Fine." She refused to take his bait. She was worried and no amount of inane questions and cute smiles was going to make her forget. Like he knew that Vince stood up. "It was boring." She elaborated, holding his eyes. He took a step closer til they were almost pressed against each other. He slowly leaned down and still holding her eyes he kissed her. The way she'd been so concerned for him had touched some part of him that he tried to keep away from the world. Plus he figured if he kept her occupied she wouldn't keep going on about her worry and lecturing him on the proper tools he should have been using.

From the first second he kissed her she kissed him back. She always did. Vince guessed he knew she was into him for awhile now, he just hadn't wanted to acknowledge it because that meant he'd have to look at his feelings for her too. But then he thought, it might be time for him to look those feelings as he felt her melting into his arms. He was running his good hand up her back and she was running her hands up and down his back too. He stopped kissing her mouth and started down her neck. She tilled her head to give him easier access. He found the sensitive spot where her neck and shoulder met and bit her. She moaned. He kissed her on the mouth again and she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. He knew just how to touch her to make her forget she was mad at him, worried about him and trying to stay detached until she had some sort of commitment from him.

Jesse walked into the bathroom and saw Vince and Nyssa kissing. He stood in the doorway dumbfounded for a minute. He was seeing Vince, in broad daylight, making out with a girl in the bathroom. He stuttered out an apology and backed out of the room.

Nyssa turned red and burrowed her face into Vince's chest with a horrified moan. Vince laughed and she felt the vibrations of it rumble in his big chest.

"I don't know what you find so funny." Nyssa was horrified to have been caught making out in the bathroom. What would they have done? Done it on the floor with the door open?

"You missed the look on poor Jesse's face." Vince said, still laughing at the memory. "Well, at least you took my mind off my pain." She looked at his hand and was pleased to see the bandage was not even red so the bleeding had stopped. "What'dya say we go continue where we, um, got interrupted in my room."

"I don't think so."

"Ah, come on. I'll show you a good time." Vince leaned over and started nibbling on her neck again. "I promise we won't be interrupted once we close that door."

"You owe me a drive around the neighbourhood." Nyssa struggled softly to get away, not liking how dangerously close she was to giving him his way.

"We got all night to go for a drive. I think I got something in there you'll find more interesting." He took her hand and started to back out of the bathroom, taking her with him.

"You're the one who says I need to practice more." Nyssa reminded him and giggled at the look on his face.

"But I'm hurt. One day off won't matter that much. I need you to help me out with some things I can't do one handed." Vince raised one eyebrow in suggestive invitation.

"Yeah, well all you gotta do is sit in the car and be encouraging. I want to go for a drive."

"I wanna show you something new I got today. It's right in here." Vince tried to lead her into his dark room, the high window shuttered by the blind. "Come on girl, you know you wanna. I can see it in your eyes." He kissed her again.

"You know, you're not half as smooth as you think you are. I want to go for a drive." Nyssa leaned back at the door of his room and locked her feet, knowing full well what would happen if she let him get her into the dark. She'd never be able to hold her resolve. Vince capitulated reluctantly.

"Fine, but you drive my car. I want to see how you're doing with it." Nyssa grinned with her victory and they took his car out on the road. She did well with it at the track. It wasn't as fast as her car but it wasn't as touchy in the shifting department either.

"I want that tint for my windows you promised me. I like driving better when no one can see in the car." Nyssa reminded Vince of his commitment to get her windows done for her.

"Yeah, I'll get on that as soon as I have two good hands again." Vince mock pouted to remind her of his disability, hoping it would gain him some sympathetic treatment later. Nyssa only grinned at him, knowing full well what he was up to.

They drove around for an hour and then headed home. They ate supper and Nyssa and Mia went up to Mia's room to do homework. The guys and Letty talked about the job they had to do tonight.

"You think what you're gonna tell that girl if she wakes up when your getting ready to leave tonight Vince? Nice as she is I can't believe you didn't ask me or tell us before you asked her to live here." Dom got some of his bottled anger about Nyssa's presence out in the open.

"I'm gonna tell her I can't sleep and I'm goin for a drive. Don't worry about it. I can take care of her and she'll never know what's up Brotha. You need to chill out." Vince figured his plan was sound and he wished Dom would lay off about it.

"I guess she'll buy that." Dom looked reassured.

The team went and watched some TV. Nyssa came down around 10 and watched some TV with them. Mia joined them a few minutes later. Nyssa told Vince she was going to bed around 11. He told her good night and she went to bed. About half an hour later they all went to bed because they had to get up at 4 to go and do their thing.